Cost of living comparison
compared to
Madrid vs. Des Moines Cost of Living Summary
Madrid is 8.0% more expensive than Des Moines.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.4% more in Madrid
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0% less in Madrid
- Transportation
-
pay 51.1% more in Madrid
- Housing
-
pay 12.6% more in Madrid
- Childcare
-
pay 19.8% less in Madrid
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.9% less in Madrid
- Clothing
-
pay 28.3% more in Madrid
The cost of transportation, clothing, housing, and restaurants in Madrid are more expensive than in Des Moines. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, and groceries are lower in Madrid.
Madrid vs. Des Moines Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Madrid instead of Des Moines, you would:
pay 6.4% more for restaurants
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.00
|
$18.10
€15.61
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$11.68
€10.07
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.61
|
$3.13
€2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.15
|
$2.19
€1.89
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0% less for groceries
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.03
|
$1.71
€1.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.36
|
$7.25
€6.25
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.56
|
$4.61
€3.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.61
|
$3.36
€2.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.67
|
$4.05
€3.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$1.18
€1.02
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$1.02
€0.88
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.66
|
$1.19
€1.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.26
€1.09
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.75
|
$0.94
€0.81
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.01
€0.87
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of groceries
pay 51.1% more for transportation
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.93
|
$7.08
€6.10
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$58.00
|
$45.84
€39.53
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,000.00
|
$38,541.72
€33,235.57
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.94
|
$16.23
€14.00
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of transportation
pay 12.6% more for housing
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.86
|
$34.54
€29.78
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,214.00
|
$1,540.98
€1,328.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$912.50
|
$1,118.82
€964.79
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$108.83
|
$153.78
€132.61
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of housing
pay 19.8% less for childcare
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,369.17
|
$673.20
€580.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,812.00
|
$13,119.76
€11,313.52
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of childcare
pay 20.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$4.50
€3.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.47
|
$3.20
€2.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.14
|
$7.01
€6.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$71.67
|
$51.05
€44.03
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$11.68
€10.07
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 28.3% more for clothing
|
Des Moines
|
Madrid
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.67
|
$98.88
€85.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.00
|
$41.27
€35.59
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$73.00
|
$107.49
€92.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$138.33
|
$125.44
€108.17
|
|
Des Moines vs. Madrid - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Spain.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Spain.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Madrid or Des Moines. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.